Ace
by MoiraC
Summary: Ace was a well known (and feared) superhero, but after an incident in Central City, she vanishes from the superhero world. Now, she lives in Gotham and works as a diner waitress, refusing to come back into the hero world for reasons unknown. But when something happens and Batman asks for her help, she is forced to go back to being a hero, reliving the Central City nightmare.
1. Prologue

It was almost closing time, but did that stop "Gotham's Finest" from strolling in? Hell no.

I was wiping down the counter when a few cops, including Commisioner Gordon, sat down. I smiled at them and said, "Hey guys. The usual?"

"Yep," a few of them said.

I nodded and went back to the back, grabbing a few mugs, before coming back in and grabbing the coffee pot (the one with regular in it). I set a cup in front of each of them and poured the coffee in. They thanked me and started drinking the coffee. I set down the pot and said, "If you guys need anything else, just let me know."

"Will do kid," Gordon said, giving me one of his small smiles and short nods.

I nod back and walk back to the back. I had had a bit of a long day, and I was grateful for the opportunity clock in, but because Gordon and his guys were here, I would stay around until they left. I took out my punch card and hung up my apron, waving to Marcos and Bernie who were in the back doing dishes. I walk back into the diner to find Gordon and his guys leaving. "Leaving early?" I ask.

"We got a call," Gordon said.

I nod and say, "Be safe guys!" Gordon smiles a little and nods before following the others outside. I walk out another door and start my long walk home. At times, I didn't mind walking, but sometimes, the cold got to me. But when you're single, don't have much of a family inheritence, and you get paid minium wage, you sometimes had no choice but to go for a simple life, which meant no car. Besides, owning a car in Gotham was not only very expensive, but stupid. The crooks in town can easily break into and then steal your car, but that wasn't the only reason. With Batman and all of the crime fighting he does with villians like Joker and Bane, they all somehow manage to land on or throw bombs at cars.

I soon made it back to my apartment building and walked in, throwing my bag onto the couch. I went into the kitchen and checked the pantry for something to eat, but I found nothing. I frowned. I needed to restock soon. I sighed and left the kitchen empty handed, heading towards my bedroom. It had been a long day, working both the morning and night shift, and I was tired.

I changed into a black cami and gray yoga pants before climbing under the covers of my bed, soon falling asleep to the late night sounds of Gotham.

"Amber," a rough voice says.

My eyes snap open and I sit up, looking around my room. I soon found an outline in the darkness and I sigh. "Do you even realize what time it is Bats?" I say.

Batman walks out of the shadows and says, "Yes, I do."

"And of course, you don't care," I grumble. "So what is it that you want?"

"I need your help with something," he says.

I cock an eyebrow. "Really? The infamous Batman needs _my _help? The help of girl of the streets?"

"Give yourself more credit," he says flatly. "You were known for your work in Central City."

"So it's true," I say, "you actually do your homework."

"I always try to," he replys.

I shake my head. "Then you should also know that I'm done with crime fighting. After Central City, I...I haven't been the same," I say, looking out the window. "You know that. And don't you remember that we already tried this?"

Batman comes closer. "Yes, I do," he says, "but that was when you first got here. It's been a few months-"

"I honestly don't think anything's changed," I say sharply. "Yes, I've recovered, but I think I've become...normal."

"People like us never stop being who we are," he says. "It's like Superman trying to live without using his powers or a Green Latern living without ever using his ring. Once you are a hero, you never stop being a hero."

I scowl at the shadows. "Ever heard of retirement?" I ask.

"Yes," he says, "I have. But I think you're a bit young for retirement-"

My eyes flicker to Batman. "Shut up," I say bitterly.

Batman smirked a little. "See?"

I rolled my eyes and said, "Fine, I'll help. But what do you need help with?"

Batman goes to the window. "A villian obviously," he said. "Meet me at the Cave tomorrow at sundown." Then he jumped out of the window.

I sighed and fell back onto the bed. That man lived up to his rumors; he was mysterious, secretive, and very VERY blunt. But what did he want with me? The last time I went after a villian, it went badly, and when we teamed up, I kind of screwed it up. So why me? Why now?


	2. Chapter One

The next morning I woke up and looked around my room. My window was closed and there were no footprints or anyother weird signs that Batman had been here. Was I possibly dreaming? I got up and walked to the kitchen, remembering I had nothing to eat. Still, I wanted to see if I by some miracle had some coffee left.

When I got into the kitchen though, there was already a pot of coffee ready and there was a post-it note on the fridge. I grabbed the note and read it.

_Amber,_

_I noticed that you were out of food, so I stocked your pantry and fridge. And don't even think about trying to repay me or get mad at me. You needed the food, just accept this as a gift. Remember, be at the Cave at 6._

_Bats_

I let out a sigh. I was thankful for the food, but I wasn't used to or liked it when other people tried helping me out with stuff like this. It made me feel like I couldn't support myself. But it's not like I could get mad at Batman or anything. He was just trying to be nice (or bribe me into getting back into the hero world). Still, I was going to kick his ass for it later.

After pouring myself a cup of coffee, I opened up the fridge to see what exactly he had bought. I saw the contents of the fridge and stood there staring. When he said that he 'stocked my fridge', he wasn't kidding. I had two cartons of eggs, two packs of bacon, a lot of cheese, a gallon of milk, a few loaves of bread,a full vegetable drawer, a bunch of other meats, and some other things I couldnt' see right away. I grabbed a loaf of bread, the eggs, and one pack of bacon. I cracked an egg and put it in a pan while frying some bacon in another. Then I grabbed two pieces of bread and put them in my toaster. While waiting for the food to cook, I went to the fridge and grabbed a jar of strawberry jam and then grabbed myself a plate, fork, and knife. The toast popped up, the bacon finished cooking, and the egg was cooked to my liking. I slid the egg and bacon onto my plate before spreading jam on my toast and putting it on my plate as well.

I took my plate and sat down on my couch, taking a bite out of my toast. I leaned over and turned on my stereo, the one thing I was able to save from Central City. As the music started playing, I relaxed a little bit. Music calmed me down, and right now, I needed to calm down and think.

First, did I really want to go back into the hero buisness? Granted, I had missed being a hero and I had been tempted to go back into the hero world, but at the same time, I didn't think I could do it again. After the Central City incident, which I still wasn't willing to bring up, I hadn't been the same. I had tried a few times to be a hero still, but since Central City, I had been off my game. And to be honest, I don't think I was ever going to be the same. That, is what scared me the most. The fact that I would never be the same made me think twice about being a hero again.

Another thing I had to think about was if I could trust Batman. Now, my first thought is 'Of course I can trust him!' but at the same time, I have my doubts. He is very secretive and rarely works with anyone else (Robin was the only exception). When he did work with someone, it was usually for his own personal gain and he had a bit of a reputation of stabbing them in the back afterwards. But that was not what worried me. I was worried about trusting someone else with ME. My life, my secrets, my past; basically everything that made me who I was and everything I hid from the world. I wasn't expecting to come out and tell Batman all of my deep dark secrets, but you never know if or when it could come up. This, out of everything else, is what I worried about. I was worried about Batman stil being able to trust me or even be near me if he found out what exactly happened in Central City.

And with all of this swirling through my head, I still had a decision to make.

After a long time of thinking, I got up from the couch and went back into my bedroom. There was a chest at the foot of my bed that I sworn to myself that I was going to keep shut. But right now, I was going to have to break that promise.

I opened up the chest and placed my hand on the scanner. It scanned my hand and flashed a bright green, a lively chirp sounding from the scanner. I pulled my hand away and there was a metalic _CLICK_. I lifted up the metal slab holding the scanner and took out the folded black suit on the inside. Part of me was starting to have seconds thoughts and wanted to shove the suit back inside and slam the chest chest shut, never opening it up again. But it was too late to turn back now. I had made my choice.

Ace was back.

I stood at the entrance of the Bat Cave, waiting for Batman to notice that I had arrived. A few more minutes passed and I was starting to get impatient. Where could he be? His cameras and sensors should have at least detected me by now, and Batman wasn't one for delays-

"Amber?" a voice asked from behind me.

Instintively, I pulled out my gun and whipped around, holding it out in front of my chest, finger ready to pull the trigger. A familiar guy with a mask and spikey hair held up his green gloved hands defensively and said, "Hey, take it easy! It's just me."

I let out a sigh and put my gun away. "Don't sneak up on me like that! You scared the crap out of me Robin," I said.

He smirked and said, "Yeah, I kind up picked that up from Bats. So what are you doing out here?"

"Waiting for someone to open up the door," I say casually.

"He's probably busy," Robin says, walking towards the door. "Come on in, he's been expecting you."

I nodded and followed Robin in. We walked through the long passageway in silence for awhile before Robin asked, "So what are you doing here exactly?"

"Batman asked me for some help and I agreed to help," I told him.

"You realize you can call him Bruce, right?" he said.

I smiled a little and said, "I thought you had to be on 'certain terms' with him to call him that?"

Robin laughed a little. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he said. "But you've worked with him before and he obviously trusts you enough to ask you for help."

"You have a point Robin," I say. "But for now, it's Batman or Bats."

Robin chuckled and shook his head a little. "Whatever," he said.

I rolled my eyes and continued walking. We soon made it to the heart of the Cave and of course, Batman was typing away furiously at the computer, oblivious to what was going on. Robin opened his mouth to say something, but Batman, without looking away from the computer, said, "I was starting to think you'd never show up Amber."

"Well it wouldn't hurt for you to open the door," I say, not showing my surprise of him knowing I was right behind him.

He smiled a little and said, "I was busy."

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. Batman finished up whatever he was doing on the computer and got up from his chair, walking over to Robin and I. It was at that moment when I realized that he wasn't wearing his mask. I quickly turned my head, so I wasn't looking at him. Both he and Robin noticed this and Batman asked, "Is there something wrong Amber?"

I shook my head and said, "It's nothing. It's just that the last time I saw a hero without his mask or anything, I...well, let's just say I learned to make sure I never saw a hero without his mask unless I had permission."

Batman raised an eyebrow, but then said, "Well, we're allies. I think you're allowed to see what's underneath the mask."

I nod and look up, giving him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, it's just...it's been awhile."

"I understand," he said. "You still have to get back into the old routine."

I nod again. I really did need get back into the swing of things, along of get over old habits and fears...

"So are you ready to work?" Batman asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I nod and say, "I am. So what is it exactly you need help with Batman?"

"I'll show you," he said, turning around and motioning for me to follow. "One other thing," he said, "you don't have to call me 'Batman' all the time, it makes me a little uncomfortable."

"Yes sir," I say quietly.

"And you can drop the sir part," he added. "Just call me Bruce."

I nod and don't say anything else. Usually, I wasn't one to keep so quiet or be this shy, but when if you were in my shoes a few months ago, you wouldn't be surprised by my actions. Besides that, I was a little nervous to be working with Batma- I mean Bruce.

Bruce walks over to a large table with many files, pictures, and other things scattered across it. He picked up a file and handed it to me. "Recently," he said, "there have been several incidents that have made me suspicious of a few things. I decided to do some digging around and at first, I thought Joker was at it again, but after digging deeper, I realized that this is not the work of Joker or any other villain I've worked with before."

"A new villain?" I ask, opening up the file.

Bruce nodded. "His name is Jervis Tetch, but he goes by The Mad Hatter. In a way, his methods are similar to Joker's, but Tetch's methods are a little bit more...drastic."

I skimmed through the file and said, "I think this guy has a Lewis Carrol obsession."

"Obsession might be an understatement," Bruce said, handing me a few photos. I looked at the photos and raised an eyebrow. Wow, this guy was nuts. There were poisoned tea cups, people with no head, and there was even a girl dressed up as Alice from Carrol's story.

"Wow," I said, putting the pictures down. "This guy is obviously whack."

"I think that is why he is called 'The Mad Hatter'," Robin said, picking up the pictures I put down. Bruce gave him a bit of a look, but continued the discussion.

"Anyway," Bruce said, "I was hoping that you could help me track him."

"I can," I say, "but one question though."

"What?" Bruce asked.

"Why do you need me to track some overly obsessed mad man? You are more than capable of tracking someone like him, in fact, it's almost TOO easy to track him, especially for you. His methods are similar to Joker's."

"You're a better tracker," he said shrugging.

"In other words," Robin muttered, "he's asking for your help after he failed on tracking this guy."

Bruce shot Robin a death glare while I stifled a laugh. "Your abilities are also very unique to this situation anyway," Bruce said, looking back at me.

I cocked an eyebrow. "Is this going where I think it's going?" I ask cautiously.

"You're an extremely gifted person," Bruce said. "That, and your file says that you were great with undercover jobs-"

I groaned and said, "Are you seriously wanting me to pretend to be this mad man's victim?!"

"Well-"

"That would be a yes," Robin said.

"Will you shut up Robin?" Bruce hissed.

"I'm not going to be a freaking hostage!" I say. "That is NOT what we agreed on. You said we'd be working together, there was nothing about me being a damsel in distress!"

"I wouldn't exactly call it being a damsel in distress per say," Bruce began, but I cut him off.

"That's exaclty what it is Bruce!" I yell, crossing my arms. "And if this all that we're going to be doing, then I'm out. I'm a hero, not some stupid airhead waiting for the Dark Knight to save me."

Bruce's eye's narrowed and we both stood there, glaring at each other. We stood there for several minutes before I say, "I'm out."

I turn sharply on my heels and start walking away from Bruce. I suddenly feel a hand on my shoulder and I jump slightly. How the hell did he do that?

I turned around and faced Bruce, who was no longer looked angry. "Look," he said, "I wasn't planning on having you as Mad Hatter's victim-"

"Bullshit!" Robin coughed.

"-but I need someone on the inside," Bruce finished. "I need to know more about Mad Hatter, and what game he's playing. And I know that you can take care of yourself and and that you can get out the situation if it gets ugly. That's why I need YOU on the inside."

I raise an eyebrow. "So it's not just because I'm just another girl? You actually need me to gather intel?"

Bruce nods. "If I just needed a girl to be a victim, I would have asked Kara or maybe even Barbra," he said.

"I'm finding it hard to take that as a compliment," I say.

Bruce smiles a little and said, "It was more of a statement."

"Of course it was," I tell him.

"Do we still have a deal?" Bruce asked. "You're not always going to be playing victim. I also need some help with other things."

I nod and say, "We still have a deal."

"Good," Bruce said. "Now for the other things I need help with..."


End file.
